Silver Marshall brand? The “Silver Marshall” 3223 is a beautiful receiver that was more often seen in the USA branded as an MCS (Modular Component Systems) 3223.
MCS was an in-house brand of a large retailer in that country, and no doubt “Silver Marshall” (a reuse of an American brand from the early days of radio) was a name used by another retailer on the same product. “Badge engineering” was very prevalent in the 70s, making it sometimes difficult to ascertain what factory actually produced an item, and although MCS sourced gear from NEC and Matsushita we’d attribute this one to Capetronic in Taiwan with a mix of design engineering – the tuner board is obviously Japanese in origin, but the power amplifier board is very much USA designed, right down to the use of European / American semiconductors throughout. Build quality is very good from front to back.
The 3223 is a good looking beastie, almost imposingly so with it’s big size (440mm x 330mm x 140mm) format, woodgrain sleeve, and acres of silver brushed aluminium and a full width illuminated dial that also includes meters. But looks aren’t all… this serviced unit performs beautifully with excellent sound quality and a fabulous feel.
It’s rated (very modestly) at 23 watts per channel, and can drive two independently selectable speaker zones. For those so inclined it also has a “haffler” quad surround circuit built in, so rear speakers can be added if required.
This amplifier has been serviced and comes with 3 months warranty.
